


A Mostly Uneventful Sabbatical

by squidgie



Category: Sports Night
Genre: Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:47:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squidgie/pseuds/squidgie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan & Casey have been doing Sports Night for seven years, five of them under the CSC Quo Vadimus brand.  And what do they get?  A sabbatical.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mostly Uneventful Sabbatical

**Author's Note:**

  * For [outsideth3box](https://archiveofourown.org/users/outsideth3box/gifts).



> This is for the incredible outsideth3box - who bid on this story in a fandom auction. I hope you like it, sweets!

It is the end of their last telecast before their planned vacation, with Casey doing the honors of signing off.  He chances a look at Dan, who gives a miniscule nod and a hint of a smile.  Turning to the camera, Casey flashes his pearly whites in a grin.  "And a special note to our viewers.  As you know, Danny and I have been hosting Sports Night for seven years now, five of those under the CSC Quo Vadimus brand.  And as it's been five years, we get something special.  You wanna tell our viewers what special prize we get for our five year anniversary, Danny?"  
  
Puffing out his chest, Dan beams into the camera, then cocks a look at his partner.  "A sabbatical, Casey?" he chances.  
  
"That's right, Danny, a sabbatical.  So we're signing off tonight, and will be back in four weeks."  
  
"Four whole weeks?" Dan asks.  "Whatever will we do?  Do you _still_ think there'll be sports by the time we get back in four weeks, Casey?"  
  
"There most definitely will be, I bet.  Fencing.  Mahjong.  Curling, even.  But you and I won't be reporting any of it for four whole weeks.  And if you, our loyal viewers, happen to see us on the street, you can still talk to us about sports.  It'll just be on our _free_ time."  
  
"I know what I'm doing with _my_ free time," Dan pipes up, Casey immediately getting a flush of red against his cheeks.  
  
"So that's it folks," he says, composing himself.  (It was really only a split second pause; something probably only Dan caught.  And Natalie; definitely Natalie.  "We'll see you in a month."  
  
"G'night, Mom!" Dan cheerfully adds.  The theme music starts playing in their earwigs, and the Control Room's "And we're out!" coming through a second later.  
  
As the set lights go dark, Natalie pokes her head out of the Control Room, asking, "And just _exactly_ how will you be spending your free time, Danny?" as she walks up to the anchor desk.  
  
"Natalie, Natalie, Natalie," Dan sighs.    
  
"Yes?" she challenges.  
  
Dan glances at Casey, then back to Natalie, the newly promoted Senior Producer of Sports Night (Dana having taken over for Isaac weeks before when he finally retired to spend time with Esther and their grandchildren out West).  He cocks his head to the side and winks at her.  "I'll draw you a picture."  
  
"Pictures are good!" she says, Casey noticing Kim standing in the doorway nearby, her attention divided between the conversation and the craft services table.  "Shall I bring my colored pencils, some art school charcoal, or will this be a fancy magic marker thing?"  
  
"It's just me and Casey," Dan says.  
  
"I say crayons," Casey adds as he stands and shrugs out of his suit jacket, the tech guys helping unwire him from the set.  
  
"Screw crayons, I want _pictures_!" Kim calls from the sidelines.  
  
"For the last time, Kim, I swear we're not staying at a clothing optional resort," Dan says.  "Besides, we're taking Charlie!"  
  
"You can make _any_ resort clothing optional, you know," Natalie retorts, Kim adding, "Uhh, yeah!" to the argument, only to be shot down a beat later by Elliott asking, "Didn't you have to call Dana for bail money that one time?" - her "Whatever," reply and the dismissive roll of her eyes in complete jest.  
  
"Don't encourage her," Jeremy calls as he joins the crowd at the desk.  
  
Turning back, Natalie leans up and gives Jeremy a kiss, placing a hand on his cheek.  Patting him gently, she smiles as she says, "Oh sweetie.  It's cute that you think you have a say in _any_ of this."  
  
"Well, I _did_ just hide all of your writing utensils," Jeremy says with a nod to Dan and Casey.  "So a sketch is right out."  
  
Casey barks out a laugh as Dan gives Jeremy and Natalie a fake pout.  "Okay, well grab Jeremy's camera phone.  Hey Case," he says, reaching out to his partner.  "C'mere a minute."  
  
Casey takes a swig from his water bottle, though he almost spews out a fountain of water at Dan's suggestion  "Not gonna happen, Danny," he says, blushing even deeper this time.  
  
"But Case," Dan retorts.  "It's for science!"  
  
"Yeah, Casey," Natalie pouts.  "Science!  What've you got against science?"  
  
"Science my Aunt Susan," Casey scoffs.  
  
Tsking, Dan says, "Such language."  
  
"It _really_ is scandalous," Natalie says with a grin.  
  
Casey just shakes his head.  "You ready to get outta here, Danny?" he asks.  "We still gotta finish packing for the trip."  
  
"Hold on, Case.  Natalie, come here a sec," he stalls.  
  
"Danny?" Casey says with barely a hint of a warning in his jovial tone.  
  
"What, Casey?" he asks, daring to plant an innocent look on his face.  "I was just gonna tell her what you did to me in the bathroom at Anthony's that one time."  
  
"Oh, _I_ wanna hear about that," Kim says.  She makes her way to the desk so fast that she drops the plastic knife she was using to spread schmear on a bagel.  
  
Casey drops his head forward, giving Dan his most glowering look (which, Dan will tell you, is _still_ pretty innocuous).  " _Danny_ ," he warns.  
  
Dan gives Casey a wink.  "Fine.  She'll just have to learn some other way," he says.  
  
"We'll buy you a magazine," Casey offers.  
  
"Oh!" Dan exclaims.  "I know where there's one.  It's under the last cushion of the sofa in our office."  
  
"Really?" Kim and Natalie ask in near unison.  
  
"Absolutely," Dan says.  "Came with the couch; must have."  
  
" _Must have_ ," Casey repeats.  
  
"Well I, for one, didn't bring it into the office," Dan says.  "I am not privy to such devices of debauchery."  
  
"Devices of..." Jeremy starts, shaking his head.  
  
"Why I'm as innocent as a new snow," Dan says.  "Tell 'em, Case," he adds.  
  
Casey just shakes his head.  He puts an arm around Dan and starts pulling him towards the exit, muttering something about, "Freshly plowed snow, maybe..."  
  
~*~*~

Dan and Casey drive in Dan's BMW SUV through the quiet streets of slumbering New York until they get to their apartment.  A few months after they started dating, and having known each other for as long as they had (plus the fact that Dan stayed at Casey's place for weeks on end), they purchased a new, larger apartment together.  One with room for Charlie, who moved in with them permanently three years previous after Lisa remarried and announced she was moving to France.  Getting out of the car, Dan grabs the dry cleaning as Casey grabs the supplies they need for their plane trip the following day.  "Hey, Esme," Dan calls as they make their way into the apartment, Casey stumbling on the flowing plastic wrap of the dry cleaning Dan holds low on his hip.  "Careful there, Case," he says.  "Don't break something the night before vacation."  
  
Casey steadies himself, rolling his eyes.  "How was Charlie?" he asks their nanny-slash-private tutor.  
  
"He was fine," Esme replies.  "I talked to his teachers today and we've got his assignments all straightened out for the days he's going to miss."  Esme grabs her bag and gets ready to leave.  "I really hope you guys have a good time," she adds.   
  
"Thanks," Casey says as he lines a few things up on the counter.   
  
"We'll be back before you know it," Dan says.  He leans in, giving Esme a peck on the cheek.  "We'll see you in two weeks."  
  
"Two whole weeks," she says, her voice wistful and a soft smile on her face.  She reaches for the door, and then gives Dan a wink before disappearing into the night.  
  
Casey checks on Charlie as Dan sets a few things out for the morning (all of his, "Casey, don't let me forget..." items that he'd pestered Casey into remembering for him for the last few weeks).  They take turns in the bathroom, flossing, brushing teeth, and talking about the day's events until they crawl into bed around 2am.  "What time's the car coming tomorrow?" Dan asks.  
  
"9:30," Casey responds while fighting a jaw-cracking yawn.  " _Way_ too early," he says as he turns on his side to face Dan.  He leans over, landing a kiss on the tip of Dan's nose.  
  
"But it's a vacation," Dan says as he snuggles up to Casey's chest, throwing one arm over Casey and pulling the man closer as the other snakes under their (now) communal pillow.  "Our first _real_ vacation with Charlie," he adds, giving Casey a smile as his hand wanders over the expanse of Casey's back, finally coming to rest with just the tips of his fingers underneath the elastic of Casey's boxers.  
  
"Aren't you forgetting Disneyworld last year?" Casey asks.  
  
Dan blows out a sigh that tickles down the mat of fur covering Casey's chest.  (Casey'd gone to shave his chest soon after he and Dan had become an official couple, Dan resorting to all sorts of bathroom hijinks to distract him from the act.  From that day Casey kept his chest trimmed, but hairy, because it's what Dan liked.) "Doesn't count," Dan finally says.  
  
Looking down and wishing his eyes had already adjusted to the dark so he can see Dan's expression, Casey asks, "Doesn't count?"  
  
"Nope, doesn't," Dan replies, then after a pregnant pause, adds, "Lisa."  
  
Aah, Lisa.  Yes, she'd insisted on meeting the trio in Florida, yammering on (Dan's words at the time) about her new "fabulous" life in France.  She'd never even seen the effect her words were having on her own son, who Dan reassured every night until the boy was fast asleep.  Casey can still almost hear Dan's haunting words from that first night in Orlando.  "Kids should be happy, and spend their time thinking about vacations and Disneyworld - not worrying if they've been a burden to their mother."   
  
Casey drops a kiss on the top of Dan's head.  "Well this is just us," he reassures his partner, following up with another kiss.  "Just you, me, and Charlie in a beachfront resort in Cancun.  I promise."  
  
"Good," Dan says, fingers spreading to pull Casey closer.  He stills for a moment, and Casey could swear that Dan is finally letting go of the day and heading into slumber.  Casey closes his eyes, only to flutter them open when Dan's head moves slightly, the flick of a warm, wet tongue announcing itself against one of Casey's nipples.  
  
"Danny," Casey says as a bit of teeth announce themselves against the same nipple just a beat later, causing Casey to suck in a breath through clenched teeth.  
  
Looking up, Dan just smiles.  Casey feels one of Dan's hands go to the front of his boxers, sneaking under the waistband and tugging gently on Casey's rapidly engorging cock.  "Yes, Casey?" Dan asks, a mischievous tone to his voice.  
  
Casey leans down for a kiss, his tongue seeking entrance to Dan's mouth as Dan grabs the full length of Casey's turgid cock and slowly runs a thumb under the foreskin, causing Casey to moan into Dan's mouth.  
  
"Were you thinking about what you did to me in Anthony's bathroom again?"  
  
Dan pulls back.  "Naah," he announces, dropping another quick kiss on Casey's lips.  "Definitely not enough time," he says.  
  
" _Danny_!" Casey growls.  
  
"G'night, Case," Dan says, then turns over, snuggling his back against Casey's front, pulling one of Casey's arms over and draping it across his midsection.  
  
Casey groans.  "I should kill you in your sleep, Rydell," he says, thrusting his cock against Dan's backside.  
  
"Yeah, but you won't," Dan replies.  "Because you love me too much."  
  
Casey just sighs.  Of _course_ he's right.  But that doesn't make it any easier for sleep to come.

~*~*~  
  
"Okay, Slugger," Casey says with a nod as a thirteen year old Charlie separates from him and Dan.  "You need anything?"  
  
Charlie just waves, his attention on the 16 to 18 year old girls volleyball team that he, Dan, and Casey had followed onto the plane and is already ten rows back as Casey's memories start harking back to when Charlie was just an infant.  
  
"Casey," Dan starts, pulling Casey's attention back to the present.  "He's a hormonal 13 year old boy, sitting around a whole slew of athletic teenage girls.  He'll be _fine_."  
  
"I guess," Casey says as Dan herds him into their first class seats.  "You don't think he wanted to sit up here near us?"  
  
Dan distracts Casey by looking like he's bending over to stow his backpack, but he really takes advantage of his position to suck Casey's pointed finger into his mouth, his tongue running across Casey's fingertip.  Casey immediately diverts his attention to the actions his partner is doing - in a _very_ public place.  
  
For all the blustering Casey does, Dan just looks at him innocently and takes his seat.  "You okay, Case?" he asks, a broad grin covering his face.  "Do you need me to get the flight attendant?"  
  
Sighing, Casey says, "Only if it's to strap your dead body into the seat for the flight."  After a beat, he adds, "Or _mine_..."  
  
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Case," Dan says as he pulls out the inflight magazine, flipping through until he settles on an article titled 'Hidden Gems of Savannah'.   "Remember; innocent as the freshly plowed snow..."  
  
"You got that right," Casey says.  He leans up and puts his backpack into the overhead bin, ignoring Dan's wandering fingers as they tickle the trail of hair just below Casey's naval, Dan balking, "What?" when Casey gives him _the face_.  
  
"You sure he's got everything he needs?" Casey asks, pulling his sweatshirt back down.  
  
Dan turns to look back to the general area Charlie's sitting in, then asks, "Condoms?"  
  
" _Condoms_?" Casey repeats, voice incredulous.  
  
"Condoms," Dan says, following up with another look in Charlie's general direction.  "Case you _know_ it's time to have 'the talk'.  Right?"  
  
"Danny," Casey says, turning in his seat until he can see his gangly thirteen-year-old son smiling up at the gargantuan volleyball player sitting next to him.  "He's still just my little boy."  Looking at Dan, he corrects, " _Our_ little boy."  
  
Dan signs.  "You want me to do it?"  
  
"I was kinda counting on it," Casey says, doing his best imitation of Dan's puppy-eyes.   
  
"Figures," Dan says.  He reaches for his backpack, muttering, "Condoms, condoms, condoms..."  
  
"What, are you gonna do it right _now_?" Casey asks.  
  
Dan reaches into the backpack stored underneath the seat, pulling out an individual packet of lube and two condoms; an emergency packet that he and Casey always kept on hand from the early days before they knew they were going to be committed, monogamous, and were tested.  "You _really_ want me to give the boy condoms and lube in front of a bunch of high school volleyball players?"  
  
Casey smiles.  "I'll give you a hundred bucks."  
  
"You're on," Dan replies, a mischievous grin suddenly plastered across his face.  
  
He leans over Casey as he makes his way out of the window seat, straddling Casey's lap suggestively until he can join the stream of people flowing towards the back of the plane.   
  
It takes a few minutes, but suddenly there's an ear-piercing cry of, "DANNY!" from the back of the plane.   
  
Casey's still laughing two minutes later when Dan swims his way back upstream and takes his place at the window.  He leans towards Casey and waggles his eyebrows at Casey suggestively.  Holding out a hand, he says, "Hundred dollars, please."  
  
"Kinda need my cash for the resort," Casey says as he pulls out his wallet and paws through it.  "You think we can work out some kind of arrangement?"  
  
Dan just smiles.  "Lemme see how much lube we have left," he says, just as the flight attendant comes by with champagne and mimosas.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The first few days of vacation go so leisurely that Casey has to wonder if time slows down in Mexico.  They'd spent time at the pool, climbing ancient ruins, and had plenty of time in the ocean, which was Dan and Charlie's favorite way to fritter away the hours.  
  
On the seventh full day, Casey has a quick conversation with Charlie as Dan naps on their balcony.  "Be back later!" Charlie loudly calls, then heads out of their villa.  
  
A few minutes later, Dan pads down the stairs.  "Where'd Charlie go?" he asks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.   
  
"Went to go to the pool with some of the other kids," he says.  Being as nonchalant as he can, he asks, "You want to go for a walk?"  
  
Dan just smiles.  "I dunno, Case," he says, looking around the empty room.  "We've got the villa all to ourselves... And a nice private balcony where..."  
  
"Hold that thought," Casey says, standing up and claiming a kiss.  
  
"You know," Dan says, grinding against Casey to where Casey can feel Dan's thickening cock through the thin material of his shorts, "I can be _very_ persuasive when I want to be."  
  
"Danny," Casey says, ignoring the break in his voice, much like that of a boy going through puberty.  He coughs, then clears his throat, as if it'll give him the upper hand (though he's pretty sure he's already lost).  "You sure you don't want to go for a walk, maybe?" he weakly offers.  
  
Smiling, Dan leans over for one more kiss, then turns to head back to the stairs, the mesh basketball shorts wiggling suggestively at his hips.  He turns his head just as he ascends the first step, the shorts puddling at his feet.  "Oops," Dan says, then gives Casey a smile before stepping out of his shorts and walking, bareassed, up the staircase.  
  
Before Dan, Casey had looked at a few men, but had mostly been interested in women.  Dan, however, changed something in him.  And it didn't hurt that Dan had one of the nicest asses Casey had ever seen.  It's no secret that he often lost their weekly racquetball tournament when Dan played dirty, making sure his jockstrap was clearly visible through his sweat-soaked sheer white cotton shorts to distract Casey and keep him off his game.  
  
Considering the covert afternoon plans he'd managed to wrangle over the last few months, Casey figures they can be late a little.  He stands, feeling just a bit light-headed from the lack of blood (since it was currently flowing to his nether-regions), and steadies himself at the table.  He clears his throat and mutters, "Why the hell not?" and follows Dan up the staircase, where he finds the man leaning over the railing, his ass jutting out behind him like a prize.  
  
"Wow," is all he can manage, Dan looking over his shoulder and grinning back at him.  They had a private villa, with a balcony that looked out into the jungle, so they were secluded from the rest of the resort.  Not that Casey minded.  Dan could be pantsless, bent over the railing at the top of the Statue of Liberty, and would _still_ yield Casey's undivided attention.  
  
"'s about time," Dan says, tossing a smile over his shoulder.  He waggles his eyebrows, then turns back to the view as Casey walks up behind him, stripping out of clothes with each step.  By the time he reaches Dan, Casey's just got his boxers and socks remaining.  
  
Casey plasters himself against Dan's back, finding a light sheen of sweat covering Dan, tickling at the hairs surrounding Casey's nipples.  He lets his hands roam down Dan's front, stopping to tweak the pert nipples he finds, then lets one hand go up, turning Dan to face him and claim a kiss, while the other skitters down Dan's chest, then venturing further and further down, finally taking Dan's cock on his hand, palming it lightly before gently tugging on Dan's balls.  
  
Releasing Dan from the kiss, Dan tries to turn, though Casey stops him.  
  
"Umm, Case?"  
  
"Yeah, Danny," Casey says as he claims another kiss, but is steadfast in keeping Dan facing out the balcony.  
  
"Kinda inconvenient not being able to turn around here," Dan says, a hint of whine in his voice.  
  
Tsking, Casey says, "Maybe you're not _supposed_ to turn around yet."  
  
"Why wouldn't-" Dan starts, but is immediately cut off when Casey drops a hand to Dan's back, a slender digit suddenly probing at Dan's hole.  He hisses, then lets out a groan, turning just enough to kiss Casey.  When they finally break, he says, "Too bad we gave Charlie all of our lube."  
  
" _What_?" Casey barks.  "You gave-"  
  
"Relax, relax," Dan laughs.  "There's lube in the nightstand."  
  
Cocking an eyebrow, Casey asks, "You crackin' wise, Rydell?"  
  
"Casey, Casey, Casey," Dan says, his voice going up half an octave on the third "Casey" when a finger strokes across his hole.  "You _really_ need to let me and Natalie teach you how to cuss.  Properly."  
  
"You mean somethin' like 'Bend over that railing right now so I can fuck your sweet ass, Rydell'?"  Dan tries to laugh, though Casey cuts him off with a kiss, Casey swallowing another moan as Dan grasps his cock and dabs at the precome before running his thumb just under the foreskin.  "Fuck," Casey sighs.  
  
"Lube.  Nightstand," is all Dan manages as Casey's finger wiggles its way inside of Dan's ass.  
  
"Won't need it," Casey replies, then starts to bend down, getting on his knees behind Dan.  
  
"Ooh," Dan manages, Casey watching as the entire expanse of Dan's skin goes gooseflesh as he parts Dan's cheeks and darts his tongue against Dan's silken hole.  "Oh fuck, Casey," Dan says as his knuckles go white from gripping the railing so tight.  
  
It's amazing to Casey that, even after all these years, he can still make Dan go boneless by a simple touch, or the flick of his tongue.  Rimming was, again, something he'd never done before Dan, though he'd had it done to him.  Then one night, fresh from their first time beating ESPN in the nightly ratings, Dan announced it was time for something special, then presented his freshly showered ass on a pillow.  From that point on, they saved it for special occasions.  
  
Darting his tongue against the hole a few times, Casey nips at the creamy flesh surrounding it, earning a gasp here, a groan there.  He pulls Dan's cheeks apart, then lets his tongue wander, licking down from the hole until he gets to Dan's perineum, then back again.  Dan leans back, giving more of himself to Casey, as Casey's tongue twists against the hole, while his hands wander.  He laps against the whole to a staccato beat as the fingers of his left hand caress Dan's balls, the other slowly jerking Dan's cock.  
  
Casey can tell when Dan gets close by the way his balls start to retreat slightly and his ass puckers almost continually, so he reluctantly lets up, his tongue instantly missing Dan's hole.  "Case," Dan warns, his voice sensual and deep.  
  
"One sec," Casey says as he stands back up.  He pushes with a single finger, then two, against Dan's hole.  The man is so relaxed, that he doesn't need lube at all, so he raises a hand to Dan's mouth.  Dan grins mischievously, then licks down the center of Casey's palm.  Before Casey can withdraw, Dan grabs Casey's hand and sucks down two fingers, letting them go deep into his throat, causing Casey to have his own case of gooseflesh.  
  
"Jesus, Danny," is all he can manage as Dan lets go of his hand.  Casey quickly drops his hand to his cock and rubs himself, wetting the length of it with Dan's offer.  He puts his hands at Dan's hips, then positions himself, the head of his cock stuttering slightly against Dan's hole for half a beat before popping inside.  
  
Dan's chest shudders with the intense moan that escapes his lips.  "Fuck me, Casey," Dan says as he leans back, taking the full length of Casey's shaft.  He pulls forward a bit before letting Casey take over.  Dan puts one hand on his cock and strokes it, matching Casey's rhythm.  Casey takes his time, thrusting in and out, making sure to strike Dan's prostate, while Dan's free hand raises up and he tweaks his own nipples repeatedly.  
  
Casey finds an easy rhythm, burying his cock deep inside Dan, feeling as his sensitive cockhead strokes against Dan's prostate, and making Dan whimper with each connection.  The silken passage eases and tightens repeatedly, teasing Casey's cock.  "I'm not gonna make it much longer," Dan announces, and then Casey feels Dan's passage tighten.  Dan starts stroking his cock faster, the fingers on his free hand settling on his left nipple, which Casey knows from habit, was the more sensitive of the two.  
  
Leaning back, Casey broadens his stroke, pulling out until just the head of his cock is still inside Dan, then powerfully pushes forward until he's buried to the hilt in Dan's ass.  He raises his arms and puts them on Dan's shoulders, pulling the man down as if to get even more leverage.  "Come for me, Danny," he breathlessly says, feeling his own orgasm starting to bubble up from his core.  
  
After a few thrusts, Casey lets his fingers roam, each hand grabbing onto one of Dan's nipples, pinching and playing with them as Casey leans up to tongue and lick at Dan's strong, sensitive neck.  He feels Dan stiffen slightly, a loud moan announcing the man's orgasm.  Casey pulls out, then thrusts back in once, twice, and then a third time as Dan's passage tightens in a spasming, rhythmic pattern.  On the third stroke, he gives himself over to his own orgasm and leans back, relying on his wobbly legs to keep him upright as he spills his seed deep inside his partner through uneven strokes.  
  
It takes a few seconds for the room to re-solidify around him.  Dan moves gently, and Casey slips from within him.  He reaches up, putting his hand against Casey's face, grounding Casey even further into the moment, murmuring a quiet, "I love you, Case," as his lips ghost Casey's.  
  
"Love you, too, Danny," Casey says as he pulls Dan into an embrace.  He holds on, letting his mind wander, now not even able to fathom of the time before Dan was his whole world.  He squeezes the man tighter, then reluctantly releases him, dropping a quick kiss on his nose.  "C'mon," he says, turning Dan towards the bathroom.  
  
"Round two already?" Dan says with a grin.  
  
" _Shower_ , Rydell," Casey responds.  "Shower, then walk."  
  
Dan clicks his tongue.  "I don't know about that, Case.  I'm walking a bit funny right now, due to your antics out on the balcony back there," he says with a smile.  "Maybe after a shower, we should crawl into bed.  Maybe give _you_ a chance to put your legs up."  Casey cocks his head to the side, an eyebrow jutting up, giving Dan a curious look.  "You know, maybe put those long, lean gymnastic legs over your head.  I could even hold them up for you," Dan adds with a sexy leer.  
  
Casey glances at the nearby bedside clock.  " _Shower_ ," he announces with a little push of Dan's shoulder, and mutters about Dan being the death of him as he climbs under the hot stream of water after his partner.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Once showered and grabby-Danny-hands avoided successfully (chasing away Dan's sexy pout with a kiss), Casey finally finishes dressing, turning his attention again to the clock, and then his partner.  "Get a move-on, Rydell, or we're gonna be late."  
  
He instantly regrets almost letting his secret slip.  
  
"Late?  What late?" Dan asks, squinting his eyes and giving Casey a questioning look.  
  
Sighing, Casey says, "It's nothing, Danny...  Just, you know," he says, gesturing towards the doorway, "late for our walk."  
  
The look Dan gives him tells him he's not buying it, so he thrusts his hands into the pockets of his khakis, a gentle metallic 'tinking' noise filling the silence of the room.  
  
"Case..." Dan draws out as his eyes bounce between Casey's pants pocket and Casey's blushing face.  
  
Casey shakes his head, then crosses to where Dan is standing and pulls him close.  "You trust me, right?" he asks, taking Dan's hands into his own.  
  
"With my life, Case," Dan says, then steals a kiss.  
  
Casey blows out another sigh and leans his forehead against Dan's.  "It's just a little thing...  Don't make me say it...  Can you just trust me on this one?  Please, Danny?"  
  
Dan smiles, and Casey knows that smile.  In a single look, it tells Casey that his months of secret planning have just been figured out by the clever, and oh so charming, Dan Rydell.  
  
"Yeah, Case," Dan says with a grin so bright it could challenge the sun.  Casey watches as Dan brings their entwined hands up and drops a kiss on Casey's knuckles.  "Just this once," he says, then turns to the doorway, pulling Casey behind him.  "Let's go do this."  
  
"Danny," Casey says, Dan stopping in his tracks.  At Dan's expectant look, Casey says, "Look, this...  This was supposed to be a secret, okay?  Don't let everyone know you figured it out, okay?"  
  
" _Everyone_?" Dan asks as he beams.  "Casey, I kinda figured out maybe you and me and Charlie...  But everyone?"  
  
Casey drops his face into his hands and mumbles his reply.   
  
"What was that?" Dan asks.  
  
"I said, could you _please_ forget that I said that part?"  
  
Dan smiles and nods, his head bobbing up and down as he says, "Deal."  
  
It takes a few seconds, but after another kiss, the walk to the door, and one final kiss, Dan reaches for the doorknob.  " _Everyone_?" he asks again.  "Really?"  
  
"Yes, Danny...  Really," Casey sighs.  
  
"Cool."  
  
~*~*~  
  
The "walk" along the grounds of the resort is slow and romantic, Casey never letting go of Dan's hand.  He squeezes it gently as he sees a sign for 'Sandy Cove Beach', then bobs his head, to indicate the sign.  "Let's go over there," he says, voice quiet as he leads Dan to the secluded area.  
  
Casey goes through the white gate first, holding it open for Dan.  He sneaks one last kiss, ignoring the low thrum of nearby voices, then turns and leads Dan into the clearing, where he looks up at Dan, who smiles as he realizes that they're surrounded by their best friends, Isaac leaning on his cane in the middle of the group, with Charlie standing on one side of Isaac, Dana on the other.  The voices die, and all that's left is the sound of the nearby pounding surf.  
  
"Uhh, Case?" Dan asks.  
  
Squeezing Dan's hand, Casey reaches into his pocket, pulling out a gold band as he goes down to one knee.  Kneeling, he holds Dan's hand out in front of him.  "Danny...  I've loved you for a long time, and known you for even longer.  I know it took us a while to get here, but I wouldn't trade my life - our life - for the world.  Daniel Rydell," he continues as he slips the gold band over Dan's left ring finger, "will you marry me?"  
  
Dan beams down at him, making Casey feel like he's the only person on the beach - hell, _in the world_!  He shakes his head enthusiastically and says, "Yes, Casey.  Yes, I'll marry you!"  
  
There are choruses of "Hooray!" and "Congratulations!", Casey smiling when he hears Jeremy yell, "Mazel tov!".  He gets to his feet and wipes the dirt off of his pants, then retakes Dan's hand and heads them both to where Isaac stands.  They each take turns hugging Dana and Charlie, nodding at all of their friends in attendance, then stand in front of Isaac, who beams nothing but pure love at them with his gently lopsided smile.  
  
"When two people love each other, like Dan and Casey do, it makes them a joy to be around."  Isaac says a few words, stopping only to blow a kiss to his wife, Esther, who is standing a few feet away.  Casey is a bit overwhelmed; he knows the event would be a big thing, but now that he's in the moment, he feels a bit lost.  He stands there, only coming back from his thoughts when Dan, who he hasn't let go of, squeezes his hand.  
  
"What?" Casey asks, then realizes they're already at the vows.  "Oh - I do," he says, then glances from Isaac to Dan, holding Dan's gaze as he repeats, "I do."  
  
Isaac smiles, and Casey swears he can feel the love emanating from the man; he was like a father to both of them, so when it came to figuring out who would perform the actual ceremony, every single person Casey asked said "Isaac" - who was also _his_ first choice.  
  
"Then by the power vested in me by the Universal Life Church, and the blessings given to me by Rabbi Shulmann, I now pronounce you two kids married."  After a beat, Isaac motions for Charlie to put down a small glass, wrapped in a napkin.  Dan just grins at Casey and stomps on the glass, the crunching sound being heard plainly above the nearby crashing waves.  Raising his voice to be heard above the chorus of "Woohoo!" and "Mazel tov!" blessings, Isaac says, "Rabbi Shulmann has already forgiven me in advance for my pronunciation; having a stroke and speaking Hebrew isn't the easiest combination in the world.  So if you'll all forgive my pronunciation as well, bruchim ha'ba'im b'shem Adonai.  Translation, blessed are you who come in the name of the Eternal.  And if I may add, _we_ \- every single person here, and everyone whose lives you have touched - have also been blessed."   
  
Isaac nods at the newly married couple as those in attendance start to talk amongst themselves.  Casey grabs Isaac's hand, shaking it enthusiastically, and then Dan leans in, squeezing Isaac and only letting go when Dana says, "Stop or you're gonna make me cry!"  
  
From out of nowhere, hotel staff stream out onto the coved beach, bringing chairs, tables, and all of the things needed for a wedding reception.  There's music, food, and the champagne flows, Casey even letting Charlie have a glass, since he technically was his Best Man, and gets the job of giving the first toast.   
  
A few hours later, with the party still going, Isaac and Esther make their excuses to head back to their room.  "And don't forget to make sure Charlie's packed; he's coming back to San Francisco with Ester and me tomorrow afternoon."  At both Dan and Casey's curious smiles, Isaac adds, "You don't really think you two are the _only_ ones around here that can keep a secret, do you?"  
  
Many hours later, even after Calvin Trager is called upon to rescue several of his Sports Night staff who were caught skinny-dipping in the hotel hottub (the conversation ending with Trager asking, "So how much is your hotel worth?  Uh huh.  Well my lawyers will be in touch in a few hours.  I've always wanted to own a hotel, so now I do.  Oh, and let your coworkers get back to celebrating, won't you?"), Dan and Casey separate from the rest of the group, and slip away to the privacy of their villa.  
  
Dan stops just on the side of the door, and Casey almost bumps into him at the abrupt halt.  "Danny?" Casey questions.  
  
Dan just wraps an arm around Casey's shoulder, Casey letting an eyebrow go skyward as he gives Dan a curious look.  
  
"What?" Dan balks.  "You're not gonna carry me over the threshold, Case?"  
  
Casey belts out a laugh, then turns to his now _husband_ (and wow, doesn't that sound excellent, he thinks), and says, "You're on."  But instead of pulling Dan into his arms, Casey leans forward and braces himself against Dan's legs, then pulls the man over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, ignoring Dan's pleas of, "Case!  You're gonna make me barf, man!"  
  
"For better or for worse, Rydell," is all Casey says as he unlocks the door and carries Dan into the privacy of their hotel room.  "For better or for worse..."


End file.
